Probe car hospitality

LUCKNOW DEVELOPMENT Authority Vice Chairman BB Singh has instituted an inquiry into the illegal allotment of cars and ordered seizure of all such vehicles that have been provided to officials not entitled to their use. This, however, for obvious reasons, would not apply to secretary to the chief minister, secretary, special secretary housing and special secretary law, who would continue to enjoy LDA?s four-wheel hospitality as before, the LDA VC clarified.

LUCKNOW DEVELOPMENT Authority Vice Chairman BB Singh has instituted an inquiry into the illegal allotment of cars and ordered seizure of all such vehicles that have been provided to officials not entitled to their use. This, however, for obvious reasons, would not apply to secretary to the chief minister, secretary, special secretary housing and special secretary law, who would continue to enjoy LDA’s four-wheel hospitality as before, the LDA VC clarified.

Reacting to the news item published in HT Lucknow Live in this connection, Singh said the vehicles were not given with his sanction. “I myself was unaware of this. I have asked Secretary LDA to conduct an inquiry and submit a report as to which officers have been given cars against the government guidelines and on whose orders these vehicles were allotted to them,” he said. Vehicles being used by such unauthorised officials should be taken back by Wednesday evening, he added.

Here it is pertinent to mention that while government norms allow vehicle to only those officials in the pay scale of Rs 12,500, in LDA official cars were being misused by a large number of staff. This included assistant engineers, deputy, under secretary and even property officers, who certainly do not have to discharge any field duty.

The LDA VC said instructions had also been issued to cancel the contract of all the taxis that were taken on hire by the department. The development agency had hired at least 12 air-conditioned taxis each on a rental of Rs 22,000 per month.

“I have asked the officials to create a vehicle pool. The staff on field duty can requisition cars from this pool as and when the need arises and return the same by the evening,” he added.